No worries.

I don't see this thing selling well at all. I read it as a huge sacrifice in engine/performance, with little to no gains in fuel efficiency, but for a higher price. Not a winning recipe in my book.

 

I don't think you understand. According to this board, everything Infiniti puts out is junk, non-competitive with anything else in its class, overweight, and leases for 0 money down, $99/month. Didn't you get that memo yet?

 

The extra weight is coming from the hybrid drive-train. The Highlander has a 167hp motor for the front wheel and 68hp for the rear wheel. They're going to be bigger and heavier (duh) than the QX60's 20hp. The Highlander uses a 45kW NiMH battery. Powering the QX60's motor is a very small 0.6kW lithium pack that pales in comparison as far as weight goes.

4,600lbs may very well be acceptable, but it's not doing Infiniti any favors.

It doesn't help that when I look at QX60 Hybrid reviews, I see owners complaining about sub-par MPG. At least with the Highlander, you get an extra 30hp to move that additional 200lbs.

http://www.edmunds.com/infiniti/qx60/2014/?sub=hybrid

 

I don't know much about the hybrid version but I was very impress with the gasoline version during a test drive. My ex gf is a dog handler and she reviewed a few suv's and this is the only one she kept talking about over and over again.

 

Well, I definitely have not had such extended first hand experience with the JX35/QX60, like I have the past 2 generations of RX Hybrids (2008, 2010, 2013) vis-à-vis my older sister. The last time I interested myself, was when it was called the JX35. The base prices of the QX60 are $42,100 and $43,500, while the Hybrid commands only a $3,000 premium. The U.S.-spec RX450h commands over a $6,600 premium against the RX350. This may be more justifiable, considering the number improvements over the RX350. It still remains higher than the QX60 Hybrid, except in base RX350 FWD form. Likely because of the third row, Infiniti believes in the right to charge more for the QX60 FWD.

Considering the existence of a possible price floor, likely due to the directly related Pathfinder at highly equipped levels, it may not be to fair to rather chastise Infiniti based on pricing. The QX60 is already under a luxury badge and from my impression was done correctly material-wise (at least for MY2013), so the regular QX60 is already priced sensibly as against other competitors. I may be biased, as I already was impressed by the interior of my parents' QX56 and expected that the JX35 would follow similarly.

The only way it would reach over the base prices and towards a peak $61k in AWD Hybrid form is via class competitive optional equipment ($14-15k), so one should rather direct any frustration towards Infiniti's pricing of the optional extras and if the Hybrid is truly worth an extra $3,000.

If someone wants a very basic QX60 Hybrid, they can get one quite below $50k. The materials will understandably be the same as in both a basic and well-equipped version (at $61k), as Infiniti has yet to invest properly in the options of upgrading interior material appointments (sans wood accents) from initial specification. As evident of the updated QX80 (Limited), that may soon be possible.

At the moment the QX60 material quality is acceptable to me at the base price. I guess I've never expected as much at this level, as I usually would with Jaguar or Bentley.

 

I don't know if Infiniti changed the interior or materials any with the renaming of the JX35 to the Q60 (I probably should have checked one out a few days ago when I was at the Infiniti shop reviewing the Q50). But,when I reviewed the JX35, I was very impressed with the interior quality. Even its lower-priced Nissan Pathfinder brother was well-done inside.

 

no need to be quite so dramatic. just about all brands here have their fans and detractors.